Rebates are not as mainstream as coupons but they are very powerful tools in the game of saving money. You would be surprised at how many rebates there are out there if you look for them. I am the most proud of a recent cereal haul that I was able to score 50 boxes of free cereal for a donation to a children’s center.
The key to rebates is making sure that your products for the rebate are on their own receipt because you might end up shopping for more than one rebate offer. Each rebate usually requires a UPC, a rebate form and a receipt in order to pay you for your purchase. Manufacturers are counting on people forgetting to send in for the rebate so I highly recommend doing your rebates as soon as you get home from the store!
Where do you find rebates?
- Do a Google search of the product + rebate.
- Look for rebates on products in the store.
- Check the brand’s website.
- In the Sunday newspaper
Some people make copies of everything that they send in for a rebate just in case it gets lost. I know once I send it out , I usually forget about it until the checks start arriving! When I was a rebate junkie I did keep a spreadsheet of the rebates that I had sent away for to keep track of what checks I should be expecting and when. Some rebates will give you a link to check on your rebate status and that is really helpful if you are expecting a large check!
You can find a rebate for everything from tires to sausage so keep your rebates in mind when you are pairing your coupons up to a sale!
Mallery blogs about coupons and living a frugal lifestyle at Mallery’s Deals. You can also find her embracing her flaws at Horrible Housewife ~THANKS Mallery for being my Coupon Guest Blogger while we are in Germany.
P.s. we also have a BUNCH of other Coupon Classes and info, be sure to check them all out HERE
Jen S says
I do make a copy of the larger ones and throw them in a folder. I have occasionally followed up on those that don’t come back and often if you have the copy, they will honor them. (Though not always!)
Also, if they allow a copy of the receipt in the instructions, I generally do make sure to send a copy versus the original in case I need the original later for any reason. Sometimes there are also multiple rebates (DVDs most common) and at least one will take a copy so you can maximize the rebate.